OT: Michigan Panthers hire Jeff Fisher as head coach

Submitted by Hotel Putingrad on January 27th, 2022 at 5:33 PM

I guess we can expect a .500 inaugural season.

https://twitter.com/USFLPanthers/status/1486777978369417216?t=VRNOun1d8Pj4KME2bc8gvQ&s=19

 

MGoBoard
Other
USFL

Ali G Bomaye

January 28th, 2022 at 8:54 AM ^

Still not entirely correct. The USFL employed a territorial draft that occurred in February, before the NFL draft, which gave the Michigan Panthers the right to select Carter. The Panthers then offered Carter a 4-year, $2 million contract, at a time when the average NFL salary was $90,000/year and the highest-paid player (Archie Manning) made $600,000/year. Basically, Carter had the opportunity to stay close to home and make as much as the top salaries in the NFL, which was a no-brainer. He signed the contract in late February 1983, so he was already off the market by the time the NFL draft occurred.

In fact, Carter was still considered so valuable that the Miami Dolphins still drafted him in 1983, even though there was a good chance he wouldn't play for them for years, if ever. When the USFL folded in 1985, he signed with the Dolphins, who then traded him to the Vikings for a LB and a second-round pick. So there was never a time when Carter wasn't considered valuable by either pro football league.

Joined: 07/08/2008

MGoPoints: 17668

Ali G Bomaye

January 28th, 2022 at 9:08 AM ^

Bo utilized Carter pretty effectively in the context of the offenses of the day. We don't have "target" stats from back then, but over his last three years Carter caught 20% of all the passes that Michigan attempted. Considering that completion percentages back then hovered around 50%, and those stats include garbage time, it's reasonable to estimate that about half of Michigan's passes were targeted toward Carter. That would be like if our top WR last year got 200 targets (our actual leader, Cornelius Johnson, had 72).

You can argue that Bo should have thrown the ball more, but most winning teams back then didn't throw the ball dramatically more than Michigan did. Carter was still recognized as being incredibly dangerous - he finished in the top ten in Heisman voting each of his last three years despite touching the ball only a few times per game. Ten years later, Desmond Howard was a pretty similar type of player, and he obviously won the Heisman, so it's just a shame that Carter played in an era where WRs had limited impact.

Joined: 07/08/2008

MGoPoints: 17668

Sambojangles

January 27th, 2022 at 7:25 PM ^

Yep, and I think it makes some sense. Build some momentum, brand equity, and team/player/league loyalty in year 1, while saving on travel and stadium costs. If season 1 is successful enough, find a place for all the teams to play and build a home fanbase. This league is going to rely on TV broadcast revenue far more than fans in seats, compared to the NFL, no matter what.

Joined: 12/15/2008

MGoPoints: 10985

XM - Mt 1822

January 27th, 2022 at 8:06 PM ^

you knew what i meant smarty pants.  

and yeah, our school has the greatest uniforms in all of football, period, end of story.  and maybe the greatest in all of sport although i'm quite partial to the red wings and other members of thte original six of the NHL and of the lions uni's from back in barry sanders' day.  

Joined: 12/21/2011

MGoPoints: 103436

Ali G Bomaye

January 28th, 2022 at 9:25 AM ^

Hard disagree. Michigan State's uniforms in the 90s were a hot mess as they cycled between styles, none of which worked.

The Sedrick Irvin-era uniforms were an unnaturally bright green and had a mess of mismatched stripes and outlines everywhere. They also had a weird beveled "S" on the sleeves that looked like it was chipping or fading away.

Just before that, they tried the same thing, but without number outlines, which looked mismatched in a different way.

Before that, they tried a uniform with black outlining, which made them look like the knockoff New York Jets.

And before that, they tried a "Pittsburgh Steelers, but green" look with the block S on one side of the helmets and the other side blank (they actually did get this from the Steelers, as coach George Perles was a Steelers assistant during their glory years in the 1970s and he wanted to try to give MSU a winning look). Their jerseys at this time were so plain that they looked like practice jerseys.

MSU's alternate uniforms right now are bad, but their basic look is pretty solid for having such crappy colors to work with. At least they have an identity, which is something they didn't have until 2008 or so.

Joined: 07/08/2008

MGoPoints: 17668

Cruzcontrol75

January 28th, 2022 at 1:54 AM ^

I found this a couple weeks ago.  Looks like there’s now a 6-8 week backorder.  I’m getting a #1.  I remember going to a game at the Silverdome when I was 8!  I had a Panthers bobble head puppet with the punching arms, that thing was sweet.  Go Panthers.  
https://www.royalretros.com/products/michigan-panthers-usfl-jersey

Joined: 05/20/2015

MGoPoints: 8778

Cruzcontrol75

January 28th, 2022 at 1:54 AM ^

I found this a couple weeks ago.  Looks like there’s now a 6-8 week backorder.  I’m getting a #1.  I remember going to a game at the Silverdome when I was 8!  I had a Panthers bobble head puppet with the punching arms, that thing was sweet.  Go Panthers.  
https://www.royalretros.com/products/michigan-panthers-usfl-jersey

Joined: 05/20/2015

MGoPoints: 8778

uminks

January 27th, 2022 at 11:20 PM ^

When I was a student at Michigan I remember I went to the Oakland Invaders vs Panthers football game in June. It was more fun than a Lions game. I hope the Panthers are as good as they were in 1982-83.

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32049